Staff Columns

Autumn Adventure to Japan Kansai Area

Japan, the Land of the Rising Sun, a country that I dream of visiting ever since when I was a child. I promised myself that one day I will travel in Japan for an awesome adventure and to immerse myself with everything: the culture, the places and its nature, the food, and the people. I've been to Tokyo several times for pleasure and business. It's a great and a very busy city with lots of things to see and to offer. But for this time, I wanted to be somewhere different, and I chose the Kansai area. Thus, my one-week autumn adventure has begun.

Osaka, the second largest city in Japan and it's a place for their famous local dishes such as okonomiyaki (savory pancake), udon (thick ramen noodles), takoyaki (ball-shaped Japanese snack with diced octopus inside), gyoza (pan-fried pork dumplings) and much more. The two famous places I've been to are Osaka Castle and Dotonbori.

The Osaka Castle. I was amazed by its history and the beauty of this castle. They were celebrating the 100th anniversary when I visited this place. Inside the castle, there are eight floors. The top floor (8th floor), you will have a perfect overlooking view of the city. The suggested course of the Osaka Castle tour is from the top floor and then going down to each floor. You will be able to see a lot of old articles and the story of how this castle was built and started. After the whole tour, you can have a quick snack where there are takoyaki stalls and souvenir shops around.

Next stop - Nara Park, famous for deers walking around the area and you can feed them with their favorite crackers called shika senbei (鹿せんべい). I notice that before I start to feed them, they will bow first and I was impressed how mannerful they can get! One thing you must be aware of is that when you feed them, you have to be careful because they sometimes get aggressive. Still, they are gentle and fun to watch them enjoying the crackers.

My last stop - Kyoto, a city that still maintains the old traditional customs where you will still see people walking around in their kimonos and old temples everywhere. The famous temple I've been to is the Kiyomizudera (清水寺). They featured the autumn illumination night program and I was lucky enough to experience the beautiful highlighted autumn leaves.

There's a lot more to see in Kansai area but these are the highlights of my adventure. Do visit these places and you will be amazed as well.

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JAL Japan Explorer Pass

JAL Japan Explorer Pass is a simple and low cost fare for travelers wishing to explore the unique culture and feel of local Japan. The fare can be used to access over 30 cities across JAL’s domestic network.